Imaging Rock Cores with NMR/MRI

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is well known in the medical field, but modern hardware and imaging techniques allow it to also be applied to imaging of the fluid contained in rock core samples. Fluid fingering, pore connectivity and fluid typing experiments can all be used to create an accurate picture of what is happening with fluids within the rock core structure.

NMR measurements, such as porosity and pore size distributions, which are commonly made on bulk core samples, can now be done in a spatially-selective manner to provide information on the heterogeneity of these various parameters through the samples.

MRI measurements can also be used to follow the time-evolution of a process involving the movement of fluids, such as imbibition and fluid redistribution. Such measurements can be extremely helpful in, for example, EOR and carbon capture studies.

Various well-known NMR imaging techniques such as FSE, SPRITE and SE-SPI have all been adapted and customised for rock core applications.

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